Gassel planting - Maasheggen Mooi

This 2025-2026 planting season, the Maasheggenmooi campaign grew further with more areas covered and more volunteers joining. In total they achieved already 2.9 km of new biodiverse hedges in 5 different locations. More than 12,000 trees & bushes of 6 different species were mixed to restore landscapes and help prevent erosion and wind damage to crops. These hedges form part of a growing network of regional "green infrastructure" to provide insects, birds and small mammals safe havens and new migration routes.

The area was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2018 and is currently the only area in the Netherlands with this specific status. The Maasheggen is considered the oldest Dutch cultural landscape and offers a unique mosaic of small meadows and fields separated by dense, thorny hedges of hawthorn and blackthorn. It gives a new impulse to century old crafts like hedge laying or weaving (heggenvlechten) to create "living fences" (historically used to keep cattle in without the need for wire). The hedges also are seen as a "Living Monument" as this highly diverse ecosystem provides a continuous habitat, supporting a massive range of biodiversity, including rare birds, badgers, and insects. The UNESCO "Man and the Biosphere" status specifically recognizes the area as a place where nature conservation and sustainable human activity (agriculture and tourism) exist in perfect harmony.

The driving force behind this initiative, Lars van Peij, will be awarded this year's European Tree Planting Day trophy and corresponding prize money for all his efforts to keep the traditions alive and build a long lasting legacy in this wonderful landscape.

Event Organiser:

Send a message to Lars van Peij at 0624920971